Sports Cards, TTM, incoherent ramblings…mostly the latter

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So, at present, my ability to dedicate time to the audit has been limiting however I am hoping to complete that by the end of this weekend (we shall see how that all pans out).

I did want to stop by quick to post a couple additions that have been added over the last week that fill holes from the first half of the set.

Neither addition is particularly difficult to attain however neither is real easy either so I am very happy to add these to the collection.

#485 Tony Fernandez

Obtained through a private signing hosted on SCN. I have written Mr Fernandez twice (so I at least gave it the old college try) with nary a response. Sharp looking card and a welcomed addition.

#218 Sparky Anderson

It is always nice to pick up signatures from those that are no longer with us. Especially those like Sparky who were such fixtures in the game. Picked this one up on SportLots through a contact on a Facebook TTM group (bit of a roundabout fashion) but happy to add this auto of one of baseballs classiest guys.

Thanks for popping in for this quick update. More to come hopefully today or in the next day or two.

Regardless of what you celebrate this time of year, I hope you are all enjoying your families, some good food, a few laughs and maybe a drink or two if that is your jam.

Kids are snuggled up watching a movie after spending a rare Pacific Northwest day in the snow. I have the turkey in the oven as we slowly move toward the evenings feast – hopefully it will end up tasting as good as it smells in here right now. Steelers/Texans are on in the background and I am well aware that I need Nuke Hopkins to at least stay close to Lev Bell to finish in the money in this years Fantasy Football season.

Alright – now lets get to cranking out the scans and info you are all stopping by to check out. Scans included are 61-72 which highlight cards #508-609. The last portion features a number of the All-Star cards which are some of my personal favorites.

Another dozen scans in the books so another 108 total cards, less one checklist means that I have 107 autos that I am chasing. 33 cards on the wantlist including replacements for the Incaviglia stamp and the Schmidt secretarial mans that I have 74 autos in hand.

Thanks for popping in an checking out the progress. Two more posts will bring the completion of the base set, then a couple more following with the traded set. Looking forward to it.

Getting the turkey ready for the grill tomorrow. I absolutely love the process of cooking these meals that take two days to prepare – the house is filled with a mouth-watering savory aroma. Spend a little time cooking and cutting and such – and a lot of time sipping wine, watching football and (apparently) completing TTM audits. Ha!

Merry Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) to you and yours out there in cyber-world!

Coming up here are scans 49-60 which will represent cards numbered 409-507. Right around halfway done once this post has been completed. Thank you all again for stopping by and helping make this process an entertaining one.

Before we start off, there is one card that is not included in the binder. The one and only card I have that is encased.

#450 Kirby Puckett (deceased) – purchased from PastPros

#409 Milt Thompson – eBay lot purchase

#410 Fernando Valenzuela – NEED

#411 Darnell Coles – Facebook trade

#412 Eric Davis – NEED

#413 Moose Haas – SCN private signing

#414 Joe Orsulak – TTM return

#415 Bobby Witt – TTM return

#416 Tom Nieto – Mickeys purchase

#417 Pat Perry – NEED

#418 Dick Williams (deceased) – NEED

#419 Mark Portugal – NEED

#420 Will Clark – TTM return

#421 Jose Deleon – LCS purchase

#422 Jack Howell – TTM return

#423 Jaime Cocanower – TTM return

#424 Chris Speier – TTM return

#425 Tom Seaver – NEED

#426 Floyd Rayford – TTM return

#427 Ed Nunez – LCS purchase

#428 Bruce Bochy – TTM return

#429 Tim Pyznarski – TTM return

#430 Mike Schmidt – TTM return but clearly secretarial NEED

#431 Dodgers Alex Trevino – NEED

#431 Dodgers Ron Perranoski – TTM return

#431 Dodgers Tom Niedenfuer – TTM return

#432 Jim Slaton – SCN draft

#433 Ed Hearn – TTM return

#434 Mike Fischlin – TTM return

#435 Bruce Sutter – SCN private signing

#436 Andy Allanson – NEED

#437 Ted Power – TTM return

#438 Kelly Downs – Mickeys purchase

#439 Karl Best – eBay lot purchase

#440 Willie McGee – SCN private signing

#441 Dave Leiper – TTM return

#442 Mitch Webster – eBay lot purchase

#443 John Felske – TTM return

#444 Jeff Russell – TTM return

#445 Davey Lopes – TTM return

#446 Chuck Finley – NEED

#447 Bill Almon – TTM return

#448 Chris Bosio – NEED

#449 Pat Dodson – SCN trade

#450 Kirby Puckett – see above

#451 Joe Sambito – TTM return

#452 Dave Henderson (deceased) – TTM return

#453 Scott Terry – TTM return

#454 Luis Salazar – TTM return

#455 Mike Boddicker – TTM return

#456 Athletics Carney Lansford – NEED

#456 Athletics Mickey Tettleton – NEED

#456 Athletics Dave Von Ohlen – NEED

#456 Athletics Tony LaRussa – TTM return

#457 Len Matuszek – TTM return

#458 Kelly Gruber – Facebook purchase

#459 Dennis Eckersley – NEED

#460 Darryl Strawberry – NEED

#461 Craig McMurtry – TTM return

#462 Scott Fletcher – TTM return

#463 Tom Candiotti – NEED

#464 Butch Wynegar – TTM return

#465 Todd Worrell – SCN draft

#466 Kal Daniels – Facebook purchase

#467 Randy St Claire – SCN trade

#468 George Bamberger (deceased) – NEED

#469 Mike Diaz – eBay lot purchase

#470 Dave Dravecky – TTM return

#471 Ronn Reynolds – eBay lot purchase

#472 Bill Doran – SCN private signing

#473 Steve Farr – TTM return

#474 Jerry Narron – NEED

#475 Scott Garrelts – TTM return

#476 Danny Tartabull – TTM return

#477 Ken Howell – eBay lot purchase

#478 Tim Laudner – TTM return

#479 Bob Sebra – TTM return

#480 Jim Rice – TTM return with donation

#481 Phillies Von Hayes – SCN private signing

#481 Glenn Wilson – TTM return

#481 Juan Samuel – TTM return

#482 Daryl Boston – SCN trade

#483 Dwight Lowry (deceased) – Mickeys purchase

#484 Jim Traber – NEED

#485 Tony Fernandez – NEED

#486 Otis Nixon – SCN trade

#487 Dave Gumpert – TTM return

#488 Ray Knight – TTM return

#489 Bill Gullickson – Twitter purchase

#490 Dale Murphy – Twitter purchase

#491 Ron Karkovice – eBay purchase

#492 Mike Heath – TTM return

#493 Tom Lasorda – TTM return

#494 Barry Jones – NEED

#495 Gorman Thomas – SCN private signing

#496 Bruce Bochte – TTM return

#497 Dale Mohoric – SCN trade

#498 Bob Kearney – TTM return

#499 Bruce Ruffin – SCN trade

#500 Don Mattingly – NEED

#501 Craig Lefferts – NEED

#502 Dick Schofield – SCN trade

#503 Larry Andersen – TTM return

#504 Mickey Hatcher – Sportlots purchase

#505 Bryn Smith – TTM return

#506 Orioles Earl Weaver (deceased) – NEED

#506 Orioles Rick Dempsey – TTM return

#506 Orioles Rich Bordi – TTM return

So that concluded another episode of 108 cards showcased over a dozen scans. In this batch we learned that Mike Schmidt likes to have other people write on his cards and that there is only one black in the checklist in this batch. So 108 total cards, 107 total auto needs. 24 autos added to the want-list so 83 in the collection today.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas Eve and Holidays!

Before I get too far down this rabbit hole, one card has been acquired that was noted on one of the previous updates.

#139 Devon White – was able to pick this one up through a Private Signing through SCN

Love the “DEVO” nickname inscription – bonus points for readers in the future that note cards with nicknames as I frequently ask for those inscriptions.

Alright – now on to the regular show. In this episode we will hit scans 37-48 which will feature cards #306-408. And off we go.

#306 Red Sox Tom Seaver – NEED

#306 Red Sox Rich Gedman – TTM return

#307 Lee Guetterman – TTM return

#308 Don Slaught – eBay lot purchase

#309 Mike Young – Twitter purchase

#310 Frank Viola – TTM return with donation

#311 Rickey Henderson – NEED

#312 Reggie Jackson – NEED

#313 Roberto Clemente – many folks will have his son sign this card as Roberto passed well prior to this release. But I am leaving it and not chasing that auto – I consider this card the only completely unattainable return in this set outside of the checklists.

#315 Maury Wills – TTM return (I sent him a check, he sent back a my check and a fantastic note refusing my payment – one of my favorite returns!)

#316 Brian Fisher – TTM return

#317 Clint Hurdle – NEED

#318 Jim Fregosi – LCS purchase

#319 Greg Swindell – Twitter purchase

#320 Barry Bonds – NEED

#321 Mike Laga – SCN trade

#322 Chris Bando – TTM return

#323 Al Newman – TTM return

#324 Dave Palmer – TTM return

#325 Garry Templeton – Twitter purchase

#326 Mark Gubicza – TTM return

#327 Dale Sveum – TTM return

#328 Bob Welch (deceased) – NEED

#329 Ron Roenicke – TTM return

#330 Mike Scott – NEED

#331 Mets Gary Carter (deceased) – NEED

#331 Mets Darryl Strawberry – NEED

#332 Joe Price – TTM return

#333 Ken Phelps – TTM return

#334 Ed Correa – NEED

#335 Cand Maldanodo – eBay lot purchase

#336 Allan Anderson – TTM return

#337 Darrell Miller – eBay lot purchase

#338 Tim Conroy – SCN purchase

#339 Donnie Hill – eBay lot purchase

#340 Roger Clemens – TTM return with donation

#341 Mike Brown – eBay lot purchase

#342 Bob James – TTM return

#343 Hal Lanier – eBay lot purchase

#344 Joe Niekro (deceased) – Mickeys

#345 Andre Dawson – TTM return with donation

#346 Shawon Dunston – TTM return

#347 Mickey Brantley – eBay purchase

#348 Carmelo Martinez – purchase

#349 Storm Davis – NEED

#350 Keith Hernandez – NEED

#351 Gene Garber – TTM return

#352 Mike Felder – eBay lot purchase

#353 Ernie Camacho – SCN trade

#354 Jamie Quirk – TTM return

#355 Don Carman – TTM return

#356 White Sox Ed Brinkman (deceased) – NEED

#356 White Sox Julio Cruz – NEED

#357 Steve Fireovid – TTM return

#358 Sal Butera – TTM return

#359 Doug Corbett – TTM return

#360 Pedro Guerrero – NEED

#361 Mark Thurmond – TTM return

#362 Luis Quinones – Twitter purchase

#363 Jose Guzman – TTM return

#364 Randy Bush – eBay lot purchase

#365 Rick Rhoden – TTM return

#366 Mark McGwire – NEED

#367 Jeff Lahti – NEED

#368 John McNamara – NEED

#369 Brian Dayett – TTM return

#370 Fred Lynn – TTM return

#371 Mark Eichhorn – TTM return

#372 Jerry Mumphrey – eBay lot purchase

#373 Jeff Dedmon – NEED

#374 Glenn Hoffman – TTM return

#375 Ron Guidry – NEED

#376 Scott Bradley – eBay purchase

#377 John Henry Johnson – LCS purchase

#378 Rafael Santana – SCN private signing

#379 John Russell – TTM return

#380 Goose Gossage – TTM return

#381 Expos Mike Fitzgerald – Twitter purchase

#381 Bob Rodgers – TTM return

#382 Rudy Law – Mickeys purchase

#383 Ron Davis – NEED

#384 Johnny Grubb – TTM return

#385 Orel Hershiser – NEED

#386 Dickie Thon – eBay lot purchase

#387 TR Bryden – TTM return

#388 Geno Petralli – SCN draft

#389 Jeff Robinson – TTM return

#390 Gary Matthews – SCN private signing

#391 Jay Howell – TTM return

#392 Checklist

#393 Pete Rose – TTM return (got this one with no fee – was a pretty exciting day!)

#394 Mike Bielecki – TTM return

#395 Damaso Garcia – NEED

#396 Tim Lollar – NEED

#397 Greg Walker – NEED

#398 Brad Havens – NEED

#399 Curt Ford – eBay lot purchase

#400 George Brett – NEED

#401 Billy Jo Robidoux – TTM return

#402 Mike Trujillo – TTM return

#403 Jerry Royster – eBay lot purchase

#404 Doug Sisk – TTM return

#405 Brook Jacoby – eBay lot purchase

#406 Yankees Rickey Henderson – NEED

#406 Yankees Don Mattingly – NEED

#407 Jim Acker – TTM return

#408 John Mizerock – SCN trade

And there you have it – another batch of scans all up to date. 12 scans with 108 total cards including one checklist and the Roberto Clemente that I will not be chasing so 106 cards needed. I need 29 more to fill this section which means that I have a total of 77 cards in hand.

So we have completed the first three batches. I was able to catch a couple errors in this one including an empty spot left in one of these sheets for no apparent reason which will make these numbers differ a little bit. Lots of work to do so any/all help is appreciated!

Twelve scans less one spot left that does not need to be filled and one checklist means that there are a total of 106 autos needed in this batch. Need 24 for sure and likely one more with the Vida Blue that I am reasonably sure is not his signature so let’s call it 25 which means that I have 81 autos in hand from that batch.

Alright – part two is hitting the presses a bit earlier than I had planned but Peter Parker has been out snapping photos quicker than anticipated so we’re ready to rock…here come another dozen scans from the 1987 Topps TTM project!

Scans 13-24 – cards #102-203

#102 Paul Zevella – TTM return

#103 Rick Aguilera – TTM return

#104 Billy Sample – TTM return

#105 Floyd Youmans – SCN Trade

#106 Blue Jays Gene Upshaw – NEED

#106 Blue Jays George Bell – NEED

#107 John Butcher – TTM return

#108 Jim Gantner – eBay lot purchase

#109 RJ Reynolds – eBay lot purchase

#110 John Tudor – SCN trade

#111 Alfredo Griffin – TTM return

#112 Alan Ashby – eBay purchase

#113 Neil Allen – SCN trade

#114 Billy Beane – TTM return

#115 Donnie Moore (deceased) – trade

#116 Bill Russell – SCN trade

#117 Jim Beattie – TTM return

#118 Bobby Valentine – TTM return

#119 Ron Robinson – eBay lot purchase

#120 Eddie Murray – NEED

#121 Kevin Romine – TTM return

#122 Jim Clancy – TTM return

#123 John Kruk – TTM return

#124 Ray Fontenot – NEED

#125 Bob Brenley – eBay lot purchase

#126 Mike Loynd – TTM return

#127 Vance Law – TTM return

#128 Checklist

#129 Rick Cerone – TTM return

#130 Dwight Gooden – SCN Signing

#131 Pirates Tony Pena – NEED

#131 Sid Bream – TTM return

#132 Paul Assenmacher – eBay lot purchase

#133 Jose Oquendo – NEED

#134 Rich Yett – TTM return

#135 Mike Easler – eBay lot purchase

Lotta empty spots on this sheet…

#136 Ron Romanick – NEED

#137 Jerry Willard – NEED

#138 Roy Lee Jackson – NEED

#139 Devon White – NEED (pending SCN Signing)

#140 Bret Saberhagen – TTM return

#141 Herm Winningham – NEED

#142 Rick Sutcliffe – NEED

#143 Steve Boros (deceased) – SCN trade

#144 Mike Scioscia – NEED

#145 Charlie Kerfeld – TTM return

#146 Tracy Jones – SCN trade

#147 Randy Niemann – TTM return

#148 Dave Collins – NEED

#149 Ray Searage – TTM return

#150 Wade Boggs – TTM return

#151 Mike LaCoss – NEED

#152 Toby Harrah – TTM return

#153 Duane Ward – NEED

#154 Tom O’Malley – NEED

#155 Eddie Whitson – TTM return

#156 Mariners Phil Regan – NEED

#156 Mariners Bob Kearney – TTM return

#156 Mariners MAtt Young – TTM return

#157 Danny Darwin – TTM return

#158 Tim Teufel – TTM return

#159 Ed Olwine – TTM return

#160 Julip Franco – NEED

#161 Steve Ontiveros – eBay lot purchase

#162 Mike LaValliere – SCN Private Signing

#163 Kevin Gross – eBay lot purchase

#164 Sammy Khalifa – TTM return

#165 Jeff Reardon – TTM return

#166 Bob Boone – TTM return

#167 Jim Deshaies – eBay lot purchase

#168 Lou Piniella – TTM return

#169 Ron Washington – TTM return

#170 Bo Jackson – NEED

#171 Chuck Cary – NEED

#172 Ron Oester – NEED

#173 Alex Trevino – NEED

#174 Henry Cotto – eBay lot purchase

#175 Bob Stanley – Mickeys

#176 Steve Buechele – TTM return

#177 Keith Moreland – eBay lot purchase

#178 Cecil Fielder – SCN Signing

#179 Bill Wegman – TTM return

#180 Chris Brown (deceased) – eBay lot purchase

#181 Cardinals Mike LaValliere – SCN Private Signing

#181 Cardinals Ozzie Smith – SCN Private Signing

#181 Ray Soff – TTM return

#182 Lee Lacy – TTM return

#183 Andy Hawkins – NEED

#184 Bobby Bonilla – NEED

#185 Roger McDowell – NEED

#186 Bruce Benedict – TTM return

#187 Mark Huismann – TTM return

#188 Tony Phillips (deceased) – NEED

#189 Joe Hesketh – TTM return

#190 Jim Sundberg – SCN draft

#191 Charles Hudson – TTM return

#192 Cory Snyder – TTM return

#193 Roger Craig – TTM return

#194 Kirk McCaskill – NEED

#195 Mike Pagliarulo – NEED

#196 Randy O’Neal – TTM return

#197 Mark Bailey – NEED

#198 Lee Mazzilli – NEED

#199 Mariano Duncan – TTM return

#200 Pete Rose – SCN Private Signing

#201 John Cangelosi – SCN trade

#202 Ricky Wright – NEED (like everyone else in the world)

#203 Mike Kingery – TTM return

So that concludes the second portion of this running audit. Cards included here are 102-203 which includes one checklist that I will not be getting signed so that is not part of my want-list. So 107 total cards for my collection needed in that grouping – I currently have 75 and need to pick up 32 more.

The bounty of TTM successes in 2017 has been plentiful. Hockey has been more of a focus with the occasional football (Vikings focused) dotting the horizon as well. Baseball has been the biggest part of this journey with more and more cards coming in from a number of Topps sets from the 1980s, Fleer ’87 and ’88 and even a few spattering from 1990 releases. It’s been all over the map and it’s been a ton of fun.

The heart of this project and hobby started with the first box of cards I bought with my own money – the (some say) iconic 1987 Topps baseball release with the woodgrain borders.

While I have tweeted my progress with decent frequency, I have yet tackled the task of scanning the pages as they exist in my binder nor have I double checked my individual scans and want-list for this ridiculous project. I will attempt to do that in chunks as we head down to the completion of 2017.

No idea exactly how many posts this will take but I will likely be posting in chunks of a dozen (plus or minus) scans per post. Note that some of my more rare pickups or more valuable pieces are not in the binder as those cards have been replaced with copies of those cards. You may not even notice but you may see something looking a bit “off” with a card here or there and that could be the reason.

Please note that I have done my best to verify authenticity but I am always open to opinions on cards that look suspect. Feel free to email me at lumberjackcards@gmail.com or tweet @lumberjackcards

BATCH #1 – cards 1-101

#1 Roger Clemens – received TTM with his fee (well worth it)

#2 Jim Deshaies – lot purchase off eBay

#3 Dwight Evans – NEED

#4 Dave Lopes – lot purchase off eBay

#5 Dave Righetti – NEED

#6 Ruben Sierra – Private Signing through SCN

#7 Todd Worrell – purchase at LCS

#8 Terry Pendleton – TTM return

#9 Jay Tibbs – SCN trade

#10 Cecil Cooper – TTM return

#11 Indians Phil Niekro – TTM with donation

#11 Indians Jack Aker – TTM return

#11 Indians Chris Bando – NEED

#12 Jeff Sellers – NEED

#13 Nick Esasky – purchase through Facebook page

#14 Dave Stewart – NEED

#15 Claudell Washington – with fee through PastPros

#16 Pat Clements – NEED

#17 Pete O’Brien – TTM return

#18 Dick Howser (deceased) – NEED

#19 Matt Young – TTM return

#20 Gary Carter (deceased) – NEED

#21 Mark Davis – NEED

#22 Doug DeCinces – TTM return

#23 Lee Smith – TTM return

#24 Tony Walker – TTM return

#25 Bert Blyleven – TTM return

#26 Greg Brock – TTM return

#27 Joe Cowley – SCN Trade

#28 Rick Dempsey – NEED

#29 Jimmy Key – TTM return

#30 Tim Raines – NEED

#31 Braves Rafael Ramirez – NEED (pending SCN Signing)

#31 Braves Glenn Hubbard

#32 Tim Leary – eBay lot purchase

#33 Andy van Slyke – eBay purchase

#34 Jose Rijo – NEED (pending SCN Signing)

#35 Sid Bream – TTM return

#36 Eric King – TTM return

#37 Marvell Wynne – TTM return

#38 Dennis Leonard – eBay lot purchase

#39 Marty Barrett – TTM return

#40 Dave Righetti – TTM return

#41 Bo Diaz (deceased) – NEED

#42 Gary Redus – eBay return

#43 Gene Michael – NEED

#44 Greg Harris – TTM return

#45 Jim Presley – LCS purchase

#46 Dan Gladden – NEED

#47 Dennis Powell – NEED

#48 Wally Backman – Twitter purchase

#49 Terry Harper – eBay lot purchase

#50 Dave Smith (deceased) – eBay lot purchase

#51 Mel Hall (in jail) – NEED

#52 Keith Atherton – Mickeys

#53 Ruppert Jones – NEED

#54 Bill Dawley – TTM return

#55 Tim Wallach – eBay lot purchase

#56 Brewers Paul Molitor – NEED

#56 Brewers Charlie Moore – SCN Private Signing

#56 Brewers Herm Starrette (deceased) – TTM return

#56 Brewers Jaime Cocanower – TTM return

#57 Scott Nielsen – SCN trade

#58 Thad Bosley – TTM return

#59 Ken Dayley – TTM return

#60 Tony Pena – NEED

#61 Bobby Thigpen – SCN Trade

#62 Bobby Meacham – TTM return

#63 Fred Toliver – SCN Trade

#64 Harry Spilman – eBay purchase

#65 Tom Browning – NEED

#66 Marc Sullivan – TTM return

#67 Bill Swift – eBay lot purchase

#68 Tony LaRussa – TTM return

#69 Lonnie Smith – TTM return

#70 Charlie Hough – TTM return

#71 Mike Aldrete – NEED

#72 Walt Terrell – TTM return

#73 Dave Anderson – SCN Trade

#74 Dan Pasqua – LCS purchase

#75 Ron Darling – TTM return

#76 Rafael Ramirez – NEED (Pending SCN Signing)

#77 Bryan Oelkers – TTM return

#78 Tom Foley – TTM return

#79 Juan Nieves – purchase

#80 Wally Joyner – NEED

#81 Padres Andy Hawkins – NEED

#81 Padres Terry Kennedy – TTM return

#82 Rob Murphy – TTM return

#83 Mike Davis – TTM return

#84 Steve Lake – NEED

#85 Kevin Bass – TTM return

#86 Nate Snell – TTM return

#87 Mark Salas – TTM return

#88 Ed Wojna – TTM return

#89 Ozzie Guillen – NEED

#90 Dave Stieb – LCS purchase

#91 Harold Reynolds – SCN trade

#92 Urbano Lugo – SCN trade

#93 Jim Leyland – TTM return

#94 Calvin Schiraldi – TTM return

#95 Oddibe McDowell – TTM return

#96 Frank Williams (deceased) – eBay lot purchase

#97 Glenn Wilson – TTM return

#98 Bill Scherrer – TTM return

#99 Darryl Motley – NEED

#100 Steve Garvey – TTM return

#101 Carl Willis – eBay lot purchase

So there is the completion of the first dozen scans which is a total of 108 total cards needed per how I am attempting this set. 79 in the collection with 29 needed.

Thanks for stopping by and hopefully I will have another batch up soon!

And one more time we go back to the rules from the first post, and one more time I have broken those rules.

This should be clarified for my own benefit here as we move forward so I don’t cloud what has transpired over the years. The original plan was to send to all living card holders from the 1987 Topps set to see how lucky I could get – then it expanded to take on the 1987 Topps Traded set because, well, I got one. So I figured I better get them signed as well.

Throughout the peaks and valleys of this project, addiction has taken over. Now, not in a sense that I am going to be willing to pay $1k for the Ricky Wright card(s) but I am now willing to go further to obtain cards that I would not otherwise be able to do.

So, as the last post interjected Private Signings (which I have been participating in more frequently) this one will focus on one website where I have picked up a pile of cards over the last couple of months. Mickeys Cards – aka http://www.mickeyscards.com – let me start by saying that I have no affiliation with them and am not being paid for this endorsement (it would be a terrible investment on their part as no one reads any of this).

I first heard of Mickey’s on twitter – I would be fully willing to pass along the good member that sent me in that direction for that first look but I’m too old and my brain is too feeble so that twitter member has been lost in the cobwebs of my memories. My most sincere apologies.

Service is fantastic and shipping is lightning fast – I think I have placed three different orders with them and all of them shipped within 12 hours of payment – crazy good considering most were probably placed at around 10pm Pacific Time.

So lets have a look, shall we?

There are going to be far too many cards for me to go through them individually so I am just going to let you have a look for yourself and I will do my best to arrange them by the sets or themes when they were purchased. As you can see above, this was a number of 1987 Topps that were scratched off the list.

One 1987 Topps card tucked in there (an upgrade to the ball point pen that I had prior) but the rest are all 1988 Fleer as you can see.

1984 Topps is the theme here with a 1983 Topps Dave Henderson to add to the Mariners collection or the 1983 Topps build, whichever binder has more space I suppose.

And lastly is a huge pile of 1989 Topps and Topps Traded.

As you can see by these photos, I was able to scratch off a huge number of needs from quite a number of projects. Prices are certainly reasonable and, as mentioned above, the service and shipping is wonderful.

Now, in all of these cards, there was on that was pretty suspect – the legitimacy of the auto was in significant doubt. I reached out to the guys at Mickey’s, they responded but then took some time to review the autograph and compare with others, they agreed with our assessment that it was not an authentic autograph and were quick to offer me a refund or credit (I took the credit – we both knew I was going back…ha!).

I’m not going to tell you it was great service because they rolled over and gave me a refund. What I appreciated is that they dug into the card itself, where they acquired it, the auto, comparisons, etc – and came to a decision. Had they come back after all of that and advised that they were comfortable with the authenticity, my review would be the same – I much prefer those that do their homework and come back with an informed decision than those that just cave and offer the quick refund. It’s truly better for everyone involved.

So with that I leave you once again – if you are in the market to buy auto’d cards (or many other auto’d/non auto’d items) then go check them out. I truly great and reliable resource out there for all collectors.

One of the big problems I am having as I am trying to make up for lost time here is that my record keeping sucks. Well, it isn’t that bad but trying to figure out where I left off and what cards need to be shown here in this record is becoming a major pain in the ass. I really should have done a little bit more over the last three months…duh.

So let’s start this return trip with a few (OK, more than a few) private signings.

If one were to go back to my original post when starting this project, one would find that I stated that I would not be purchasing any autos nor would I be paying any auto fees. One may think that I am a liar – however, the end of that post also said that I was free to change the damn rules whenever I damn well please. I guess that may make me a liar but we all know I am making this all up as I go along anyway so just role with it.

All Private Signings thus far have taken place through the members over at http://www.sportscollectors.net – I did have one member rip me and a few others off so I am out an additional $30 and I didn’t get my two Pedro Guerrero autos but life goes on. Scumbags never come out ahead (please don’t check twitter, the news, facebook, etc as that comment may not be entirely accurate).

So – going back to the beginning of July – here are the Private Signings I have so far received back. More are outstanding.

Mike LaValliere

Was able to knock three cards of the 1987 Topps project here in one signing and was able to get “Spanky” inscriptions on two of the cards. Love the sharp autos and love the nickname inscription!

Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams

Can’t complain too much with this one. Signature looks a bit quick and it is hard to make out the “Wild Thing” nickname in there but the auto itself is still far better than most of the autographs you will see on todays licensed trading cards.

Bill Doran

I think I may have written Doran three or four times. Some folks would get their TTMs back while many, like me, would not. Bummer – oh well. I did get a couple nice sigs through the private signing but it was a bit more than I wanted to spend. Life goes on and I am happy to add both cards.

Andres Thomas

I hadn’t seen returns for Thomas in quite some time, if ever – when this PS popped up I jumped at the chance to add these cards. They turned out great and the price was very reasonable if not even a little low.

Ruben “El Caballo” Sierra

Another fairly cheap signing opportunity so I jumped in with both feet and got these five cards signed. If you look closely, the 1987 Topps card is inscribed with his nickname “El Caballo” which means “The Horse” in English – if you remember Sierra hitting a baseball, it makes total sense.

One purchase from a member on SCN netted me these six cards as well – all needed for the 1987 Topps projects. Mike Fitzgerald signature is on the Expos Leaders card.

And one trade over on SCN got me this beauty John Shelby card for the project – a very tough get so I was very happy to receive this one on a quick and easy deal.

That is all for now – I haven’t checked the mailbox today yet so hopefully I will have more to report on this afternoon. Even if it is empty, there are many more cards that need to be shown.

Well the reality is all of those have been 100% accurate however I still have shirked my duties here in my record keeping. The good news is there is a ton of work to do here to catch up as there have been many additions to the TTM projects over the last couple of months.

Many requests still need to go out and I have not been fantastic about sending them out on a regular basis however I have managed to keep a fairly steady stream of requested headed out the door here which has meant that I have had a decent number of returns and have even managed to pick up a few more cards in my 1987 Topps and Topps Traded quest. That journey marches forward along with a few others that have been building over the past few months as well.

I am sure there will continue to be a few gaps in my posts however I am going to do my best to go in over the next couple of weeks and post a few cards every day that I have picked up since last we spoke.

The last few weeks have been solid. Returns are documented below.

Lets start with a baseline so we can see how things progress through the last quarter of 2017. I do track 99% of my requests on SCN. As we sit here today, 2016 looks as such…

I really don’t pay attention to others and their success ratios so I have no clue whether these numbers are good, bad, average or what. Many requests do go to players with at least some history of returns however there are a fair number of “shot in the dark” requests in there as well. So, nine months in to 2017 (almost) and 169 returns – not bad. We shall see how many more we can get in there before the calendar flips over.

The main project remains the 1987 Topps and Traded sets. Not sure what the technical #2 would be but I have also been working through 1988 Fleer, 1984 Topps, 1985 Topps and 1989 Topps – with a few 1981, ’83, ’91 and ’93 Topps as well as 1987 Fleer thrown in the mix, just for fun. I have actively tracked 1987 but recently started 1984 Topps tracking as well. I have avoided doing so on SCN as I really didn’t want to be contacted by people looking to help me with my giant want lists.

Quick over view of those sets is as follows:

Long way to go on the 1984 Topps set of course but further along that it would appear here as well. I don’t attempt to get multiple signatures on one card however I do try to get an auto of everyone that is highlighted on said card. 1984 has a ton of League Leaders triple cards as well as Team Leaders dual cards – there is a lot to do just on those cards alone.

A few more than 300 to go on the 1987 Project – which means that I am currently over 600 cards picked up for that set. Slow and steady, we keep scratching numbers off the list. I believe that I am close to finishing the forth year of this project – what a blast!

So a couple weeks worth of returns.

Matt Young – 3/3 in 17 days

Always nice to add to the Mariners collection as well but these filled holes in both the 1984 Topps and 1991 Topps sets. Always a reliable signer – much appreciated Mr. Young!

Lee Lacy – 4/4 in 11 days (with donation)

Quick turnaround from Mr Lacy – small donation but scratched four cards off of four major projects. Very much appreciated for four nice signatures.

Bert Campaneris – 2/2 in 77 days

What a great player – I was shocked to see that there had been returns for Mr. Campaneris and I was more shocked the day I was able to open my envelope containing these two beauties. Fantastic additions!

Oddibe McDowell – 2/2 in 77 days

There is so much I love about both of these cards. The sharp blue autographs, the bible verse notations, the fact that he personalized both cards to me – but I can’t say enough about the 1985 Topps Olympic cards – I need to pick up more of these. This was the fourth card from that subset that I have been able to acquire, I am happy with each and every one of them.

Floyd Youmans – 1/1 in almost year

In the meantime, I had picked up this card for the set. Thankfully, I got to add that one to my traders list and replace it with one of my own successes (that looks much better as well!). More and more 1987 Topps wants drop off the list.

That is all for now – I will be back online tomorrow to add more of the pickups over the last couple of months. Hopefully there are a few cards in the mailbox to show off as well!